


A Crown of Flowers

by quartetship



Category: South Park
Genre: AU, M/M, Stick of Truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 12:31:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1304968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quartetship/pseuds/quartetship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing up among the elves, Stan becomes quite close to the elf prince...</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Crown of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [A Crown of Flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1969716) by [crimson_r](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimson_r/pseuds/crimson_r)



> Stick of Truth AU, based on the whole 'raised by elves' story line for Stan. 
> 
> Big thanks to tumblr users [nhaingen](http://nhaingen.tumblr.com/) and [peekabooitsmiko](http://peekabooitsmiko.tumblr.com/) for the inspiration! (And please forgive me for not knowing how to create links - I'm new here!)
> 
> \--
> 
> Like this? 
> 
> [Follow me on tumblr](http://quartetship.tumblr.com/) for more of the same, as well as fandom-related posts and rambles!
> 
> \--

Growing up among the elves of the mountains, Stanley always knew he didn't quite belong. He was human, he knew; but the elves adopted many humans, and every last one of them seemed perfectly suited to elvin life. Every one, except for Stan. He always felt inescapably clumsy and bulky and large compared to his many brothers.

‘Many’ was a bit of an understatement; the queen and High Elf had taken in dozens of children over the years, many older than Stan and quite a few just a bit younger. He had siblings of every age, each happy to take their place in the massive family the royal elves had constructed in their generosity. There was a place for everyone, to be sure; each of the children was given the same special treatment afforded a beloved child of royalty. Save for the promise of wearing the crown of High Elf one day. That was an honor only one had been born into.

Kyle; the one and only elf prince. His parents doted on him as they did the other children, though they were quick to remind him - almost daily - of the burden his birth right gave him. He was always under their eye, always preparing for something, though Stan could never be entirely sure what it was. He almost pitied the prince, saddled with such great expectations at such a young age. But when he would see the look of love he shared with his mother, the queen, or the way he mimicked his father's stance sometimes, it always squelched any sadness Stan felt for Kyle. At least the prince understood his place. Unlike Stan, he belonged.

\--

"Prince Kyle?"

Stan found the prince crouched behind a bush in the garden beyond the forest, watching the neighboring fields silently. He approached slowly, afraid he might be interrupting something. When Kyle saw his face - that Stan wasn’t whoever he was hiding from - he waved him over.

"What are you doing here, sir?"

"I am hiding. Surely you can see that. What are you doing in these fields – _Stanley_ , isn’t it?"

Stan didn't have a sensible answer. Instead, he simply shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose. Walking. Just thought it a bit strange to see _you_ here... like this."

"Well this certainly isn’t my first choice of pass times, but I would rather spend my time in this bush than being chased about by some of the others."

"Chased?! Who's been chasing you, sir? Have they hurt you?" Without knowing exactly why, Stan suddenly felt quite anxious, but Kyle waved him silent.

"Not so loud, Stanley! We'll be heard! And no, I certainly haven't been hurt. I'm simply tired of being followed to be given tokens and showered with gifts."

"Ah, yes that must be horrible!" Stan teased. The young prince glared back at him.

"Do you know what it's like to have people follow you around - harassing you - endlessly, feigning interest and assaulting you with monetary offerings simply because of what they think you might be able to do for them? None of those people actually like _me_ , Stanley. They all just want to be close to the elf prince. They want ties to royalty. None of them care about me, about Kyle without the title of prince."

"I care." Stan said quietly. He did not look up to meet Kyle’s eyes for a few moments, a little too embarrassed to do so. When he finally did, the other boy was indeed staring back at him, but the look of wonder on his face did something strange to Stan’s stomach.

"You... you're not just saying that to win my favor?" said Kyle, cautiously.

"To hear _you_ speak of it, sir - your favor offers me nothing. But I would seek to win your friendship."

Kyle laughed - something Stan realized with a start that he'd never heard before - and placed a hand on Stan's shoulder. "Consider it won."

\--

When they were teenagers, Stan discovered sword fighting.

He felt most like himself with a blade in his hand. It was a perfect outlet for his aggression, his boredom, and any emotions that he didn't quite feel equipped to deal with. And that included his increasingly complicated feelings about the elf prince.

Kyle was a good sparring partner - not as proficient as Stan with a sword, but fast on his feet and faster with his thoughts. Stan loved nothing more than a good match with the prince, despite the fact that the queen did not approve of her son taking up such a dangerous sport. Stan wagered that she wouldn’t approve of the thoughts he'd entertained about her son, either.

It had been gradual; growing up as best friends and with some semblance of brotherhood, he and Kyle had been close since that day in the bushes years ago. When they became teenagers - young men, the queen always called them - Stan had noticed things about the prince that he'd never paid attention to before, and it wasn’t long before his dreams were regularly occupied by images of Kyle. He did not mention it to the prince, but his actions were sufficiently loud. It was obvious he held the other boy on a pedestal, but not in the same way the others did. Stan was not enamored with the future high elf - he was falling in love with his best friend, Kyle.

Kyle made _him_ feel like the special one. He made him feel valued - like he _belonged_ somewhere. Stan worried that if the prince knew of his true feelings, he might abandon their friendship, and the thought haunted him. Life would surely go on if ever their relationship was lost, but he knew he would never again feel so whole. So he kept his feelings and thoughts to himself, as best he could. He never spoke of them. He hid them, behind the blade of a sword.

In doing so, he became a skilled warrior. He became the most faithful servant to the royal family. He became a knight.

\--

Kyle was days from his seventeenth birthday - a day of regard in the elvin culture - when he went missing. His mother, more frustrated than worried, sent a search party around the entire mountain looking for him, but they returned hours later, unsuccessful. Stan slipped out of the eye of the others and went to search himself; even after being knighted, without Kyle by his side, it seemed that no one ever noticed his absence. Save for perhaps his pet.

He left him behind that day, the faithful puppy Kyle had given him for his own seventeenth birthday. The energetic little dog had earned the name Sparky, and had been a loyal companion to the two boys since. Stan left Sparky where he was, in hopes that if Kyle did not wish to be found, the dog wouldn't ruin his intentions. Sparky stayed obediently, and Stan inwardly marveled at his discipline as he set off through the forest to search for his friend.

He found the prince exactly where he thought he might. Kyle was sitting, legs pulled to his chest, behind the largest bush in the royal garden. It was the same place he always went when he needed to be alone or wanted space. But there was always room for Stan beside him. When he saw Stan approaching, he pulled his legs in tighter and patted the ground beside him.

"Your whole family is looking for you" Stan said. He didn't bother asking why Kyle was hiding there.

"I know; that's why I'm here. I can't handle any more of the preparations for my stupid birthday."

"It is kind of an important day for you, Kyle. I mean you're going to be--"

"An _adult_. Big deal - _you've_ been an adult for months now, does it really change anything?"

Stan shrugged. "Well, not for me it didn't. But you're a prince."

"Thanks for the reminder" said Kyle, darkly. "Look, all seventeen means for me is a crown on my head, to save a place for an even bigger crown when I'm older. I've never been less excited in my life." He kicked a pile of flowers that were gathered at his feet. Stan snatched a handful of the flowers and held them up.

"You were picking flowers?" He teased. "Aren't you allergic to this kind?" Kyle nodded and rolled his eyes.

"I didn't pick them. They were a _gift_ , from sir Christopher. Third time this week. He found me on my way here, and I just took them to keep him from following me."

"He really seems to be pursuing you lately" Stan said, keeping his voice as even as possible.

Kyle snorted with laughter. "He's been pursuing me since we were kids, Stan. I wasn't interested then, and I'm not now. He's just like all the others. More interested in the crown than the elf that has to wear it. It's the only reason anyone pretends to like me."

"Not everyone is pretending" Stan mumbled, almost inaudibly. Kyle smiled down at his feet, then slid a hand over the back of Stan's.

"I know _you’re_ not" he said, just as quietly. They sat in pleasant silence there together for what might have been half an hour, stirring only when the sun began to set.

"We really need to get you home" Stan said, pulling himself to his feet. He offered a hand down to Kyle, who took it less than enthusiastically.

"Doing your job, nanny?" He teased, allowing Stan to pull him upwards. He stumbled forward, but was caught before he could fall. Stan blushed slightly as he straightened them both.

"Just doing my duty as a knight of the royal family." He said shyly. They set out for the castle, winding through the forest at a slow pace.

 

"So what will your first act be as crown prince?"

Kyle laughed to himself, hearing Stan use the title aloud. "I haven’t thought about it much, to be honest. I don’t really love the idea of being able to make big decisions – it’s more power than I want to have."

"Oh come on; surely there’s something..."

"Well, I can really only think of one thing. I’d like to appoint some kind of bodyguard, someone to keep all the flatterers away, since I’m sure they’ll appear in force once I’m crowned."

"Oh. I see. That makes sense, I suppose." Stan looked down at the forest floor beneath their feet, noticing beautiful white flowers there. He fought the urge to step on them. Kyle must have noticed his silence; he looped a few fingers around Stan's and stopped their walking.

"That’s a job for a _knight_ , you know. One loyal and trustworthy, and I can think of no one more qualified than you to be at my side. It's where you belong – if you would do me the service, I mean..."

Stan couldn’t fight the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. He dropped to one knee, bowing his head ceremoniously. "It would be my honor, my prince." Kyle laughed again and pulled him to his feet.

"Let’s go home for now, sir knight. I'm exhausted from avoiding my responsibilities all day."

Stan nodded, scooping a handful of the white flowers from the ground. He toyed with them as they walked the rest of the way, weaving them together, the way his adopted sisters had shown him many years ago. When they reached the edge of the forest, the base of the mountain where the castle sat, he handed his work to the prince.

"I know it isn’t a bushel of flowers..."

"That’s too bad - you know how much I love those." Kyle grinned. He examined the loop of flowers, and then placed it on his head. "This is a crown I’d much rather wear." He said brightly. "Although, what would the others say if they knew such a rugged knight was making flower jewelry?"

"I often wonder what the others would say if they knew anything about me. A judgmental bunch, the children of the elves."

He was shocked from his lamenting when he felt Kyle's lips on his face, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. He turned to look at him, wide eyed, but Kyle looked content and relaxed, like whatever was happening between them was the most natural thing in the world. It melted something in Stan’s throat, making it too hot and tight for him to speak. Instead, he let his eyes fall closed when Kyle leaned in again, kissing him fully on the mouth.

"We'll just have to keep certain things to ourselves, for now then." Kyle whispered. He stood back, straightened Stan's helmet and his own handmade crown, and turned back toward the castle with his hand outstretched invitingly. Stan took it, and they walked the rest of the way - until just within sight of the others - hand in hand and lost in happy thoughts.


End file.
